The volleyball rivalry between Center Grove and Franklin has been the most closely contested one-sided feud going the last seven years.
In almost every set, the Grizzly Cubs stay close enough to have a chance to win. And in almost every set, the Trojans find a way to prevent them from doing so.
A hotly contested second set ultimately made the difference in Center Grove’s 25-21, 28-26, 25-16 triumph in the championship match of the Johnson County tournament at Edinburgh on Thursday night.
The Trojans (15-8) have won 19 straight matches against Franklin since 2013. All but four, while largely competitive, have ended in sweeps.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The Trojans never trailed in the first set, but they also never built a truly comfortable lead despite taking a 5-0 lead after three straight kills from Grace Boggess. Franklin fought back to tie it at 14-14 and was still within a point as late as 21-20 before Center Grove got three consecutive points, including the sixth Boggess kill of the set, to take command.
Franklin answered the bell in the second set, building its lead to 15-9 on a Megan Thompson kill, but the Trojans slowly chipped away, eventually tying the score up at 19-19. Cami Kelsay twice warded off set points for the Grizzly Cubs, and a Haley Haldeman ace put the team back in front at 26-25 — but Center Grove scored the final three points, including the last two on kills from Katie Egenolf, to put Franklin in a two-set hole.
"It came down to the wire," Center Grove coach Chris Due said. "They made good, aggressive plays, we made good, aggressive plays at the end, and we got fortunate to come out with that second set."
When the Trojans got the first six points of the third, the Grizzly Cubs gamely battled back to even it at 7-7. But Center Grove pulled away from there, going up by three on a big block by Julianna Weems and counting on Boggess or Egenolf to kill the momentum anytime Franklin threatened.
Boggess had 32 kills in the Trojans’ two matches Thursday, while Egenolf was close behind with 30 — two of those coming on the last two points of the match.
"It’s just nice putting the ball away for my team, knowing I can finish it off for us," Egenolf said.
"Not too many schools can say they have those two big guns like that," Due said. "The fact that one of them is always in the front row is obviously a big difference-maker. At any time, we can get momentum going because of it. … It makes it a lot tougher for teams to try to game plan in those situations — and quite frankly, it also opens up our other hitters as well."
Jenna Otto dished out 74 assists on the night for the Trojans, while Rylie McMahen and Emily Eck had 26 and 24 digs, respectively.
Both teams swept their way into the final, with the Grizzly Cubs posting a 25-11, 25-15, 25-9 victory over Greenwood and the Trojans recovering from a first-set deficit to put away Greenwood Christian by a 25-21, 25-16, 25-12 score.
The Woodmen beat the Cougars in the third-place match, 25-23, 25-21, 19-25, 25-15.
For Center Grove, the mission now becomes getting healthy in time for sectionals; Due said after the match that he’s shutting down Egenolf — who’s been playing through shin splints — until the postseason begins.
When sectional time does get here, the Trojans know they’re likely to see the Grizzly Cubs yet again.
"I think it makes it that much tougher," Due said, "because these teams know what you like to do, they know your tendencies, and it’s always tough to beat a team three times in a row. … I definitely know they’re going to be ready to play again, and they’re going to give us a heck of a match if we do see them."
